1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electronic displays, and, more particularly, to a laser projection display within a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a vehicle, considerable information may be presented to the occupants. Some of the information relates to the operating conditions of the vehicle, such as speed, RPMs, temperature, oil pressure and the like, and is generally of substantially continuous interest and importance to at least the driver of the vehicle. Other information, may relate to more transitory events, such as alarms, warning conditions, and the like, and their importance may be high but not of continuous interest. Finally, other information may be considered entertainment, such as a radio or DVD player, and its importance may be substantially reduced, depending on other factors.
Typically, these various types of information are presented to the occupants of the vehicle using separate and distinct devices that are specifically designed for that purpose. Typically, a vehicle's speedometer and climate control have two separate displays that are located according to their importance to the driver. Moreover, these devices are typically assigned a position in the vehicle that is relatively permanent. For example, under normal operating conditions the driver of a vehicle may be most interested in the speed of his vehicle. Accordingly, the speedometer is located in a prominent position in the driver'direct field of view. At other times, however, it may be useful for the driver to have access to other more interesting or compelling information. For example, warning information may take precedence over normal operating information, and yet, the warning information may be assigned a less prominent location. Further, entertainment type devices, such as radios and CD players, are assigned the least prominent position relative to the driver. Thus, when the driver operates the radio, his/her attention may be diverted from the primary task of driving the vehicle.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing, the effects of one or more of the problems set forth above.